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Nov 11, 2008 9:06 pm US/Central
2 Fatal Accidents Caused By Wintry Mix On Roads
(AP)
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The Minnesota State Patrol identified the teen who crashed into the plow as William Pete of Le Center, Minn. who was a student at Le Center High School.
CBS
Two people are dead after a pair of accidents on icy roads in southern Minnesota, including a teenager whose car collided with a snowplow.
The State Patrol says 17-year-old William R. Pete of Le Center was driving north on a county road south of Le Center when his car slid head-on into a southbound snowplow.
The snowplow driver wasn't hurt in the accident, which happened about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
In the other accident Tuesday morning, a vehicle rolled along southbound Interstate 35E in Dakota County. The Patrol identifies the victim only as a 40-year-old Lakeville resident.
Several crashes made for a slow evening rush-hour commute in the Twin Cities, but it wasn't immediately clear if weather played a role in the accidents. But the mix of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow made walking and driving treacherous.
Slick roads also made for a tough commute in southwestern Minnesota. Madi Rappe, who commutes from Ivanhoe to work in Marshall, said a typical 25-minute trip took 45 minutes.
Kenny Dold, a truck driver from Marshall, was stopped on the side of Minnesota Highway 23 near Florence for more than two hours Tuesday morning.
"When I left Marshall I was going 35 to 40 mph," Dold said. But conditions rapidly worsened as he continued to drive southwest. Dold, along with at least three other semi-trucks and trailers, parked on the side of the freeway to wait for conditions to improve or a MnDOT truck to dump sand and salt.
Many schools in southwestern Minnesota either started two hours late or eventually closed.
Some Minnesota Vikings were scheduled to appear in Marshall on Tuesday but had to change their plans.
Vikings linebackers Chad Greenway and Ben Leber and president Mark Wilf were scheduled to be in Marshall at the middle school and a community luncheon. Both events are expected to be rescheduled.
Southeastern Minnesota could see up to 2 inches of snow by early Wednesday, but no significant accumulations are expected, the National Weather Service said. Patchy freezing drizzle is forecast for western Minnesota on Wednesday morning.
Highs Wednesday are expected to reach only the mid 30s statewide.
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